Ruto arrives in Bungoma ahead of Madaraka Day fete

President William Ruto has arrived in Bungoma county on a three-day visit that will also see him preside over this year's Madaraka Day celebrations in the county. 

The plane carrying the President and his entourage touched down at Matulo Airstrip in Bungoma county Thursday evening.

The President will be in the Western region on a three-day development tour aimed at bringing transformative initiatives to the region.

Upon his arrival in Bungoma, the President opened the Webuye West Technical and Vocational College, Machakha, Bungoma.

He said the deliberate investment in vocational education is aimed at developing properly equipped institutions that offer market-ready knowledge, skills and competencies to drive Kenya's transformation. 

In a statement on Thursday, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula said Ruto is expected to launch other various development projects and engage with leaders from the Western region at the Bungoma State Lodge.

On June 1, the President will lead the nation in marking the 61st Madaraka Day celebrations at Masinde Muliro Stadium in Kanduyi constituency.

Bungoma, which will play host to this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations, has seen several infrastructural upgrades.

One of the areas that have seen huge investment is the roads sector that also saw Matulo Airstrip get a new runway.

According to the Kenya Urban Roads Authority, the county has received upgrades of up to 21 kilometres of road.

Kura director general Silas Kinoti, who was on an inspection tour of the roads in Bungoma town, said the works were done at a cost of Sh1.8 billion.

The roads will greatly boost the ever-vibrant town of Bungoma which is a strategic hub for goods heading to and from Uganda and beyond.

“Urbanisation is very critical in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through uplifting people’s living standards and providing human dignity while opening up access to services and improved security,” Kinoti said.

He added that roads play a vital role in building investor confidence and connecting people.

“These roads have enhanced the potential of Bungoma and Western region as part of the Bottom-Up approach that supports job creation and urbanisation,” he said.

Under the Annuity Road Programme, Kura has overseen the construction of a road network totalling to 14.7 kilometres.

 They include Bungoma-Mateka-Samoia-Muslim Primary C33, spanning 6.3 km.

This also included the Mateka-Mwanda-Siritanyi A104, measuring 8.4 kilometres.

Additionally, Kura has undertaken the improvement of several roads totalling 6.5 km within Bungoma town in preparation for the Madaraka Day celebrations.